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Thursday, December 8, 2016

I finally got around to photographing our living room for the holidays. I mentioned in my last post that we are using decor from previous years, and because of that, the living room decor was kept simple. I really think that's how we like things during this time of year. Things can get pretty busy during the holidays, and when you don't have all that much time to put into decorating (like us) it helps us feel like we aren't overdoing things! Plus, I do like the simpler looks of things- it feels more classic and natural.

The tree was nicely decorated by our girls and their Mema this year. We love that our Christmas tree has many years of memories on it- including some hand-made things I made when I wasabout the same age as my daughters. :) It's fun to see the kids ask about a few of those ornaments on the tree.

The turkey was made by my oldest and the Christmas tree I made when I was in kindergarten.

I also added this green rug to the couch. It's a pretty thin rug and after moving it around to a few spots in the house, it's finally settled back into the living room (where it was originally). Except this time, I placed it on the couch. I really like the added depth and texture it gives the room.

Below is a view of our banister decorated with some garland I have used in the past and some pine cones my girls and I found around our neighborhood.

Both of our girls made a star ornament (one at church and the other at school) and I love how they added it to the top of our tree. It makes it more personal and it's something I hope we have for many years to come!

I still have a few other spots to photograph (like the girls room and our bedroom), so once those are done, I will post them as well. I really like this time of year- our house feels so cozy and warm with all the Christmas decor and the lights!

Monday, December 5, 2016

When my in-laws were visiting last week, we decided to let the girls put up the tree with their Mema and decorate it. We also decorated the house right after Thanksgiving. This was a fun process and something I think we all enjoyed! I always say every year that we need I'd like to get a few moreChristmas decorations, BUT once I see all the bins we have after they are taken down from the attic, I quickly change my mind. We have been using the same decor for years now, aside from a few new things the kids create at school and church, and it's served us well. Maybe one year I will decide to change things up a bit, but for now, we're using what we have!

One of my little helpers is "hidden" behind that recliner in the corner munching on some M&M's that my Dad and step-mom sent us. She was also listening to some music we picked out from the library- which is no surprise! She loves to sing and dance. :)

We've had the pillows on the couch for a while now, but I did recently buy some new red fabric and pretty light blue/gray fabric to change things up a bit. Plus, I think the red pops of color make things a little more festive.

The nutcrackers were purchased from Sears a few years ago- I got them during an after Christmas sale, so they were marked down pretty low. My husband doesn't think they will live to see next Christmas because the girls love playing with them and can be a little rough sometimes. The ballerina's hair has been falling out a little since they last played with her, but I don't want to get rid of either one of them- not any time soon at least!

For the decor in the dining room, I kept things pretty simple. I added some garland and a Charlie Brown Christmas tree my Dad gave us a few years ago. It's still holding up!

I also added some garland and pine cones to our banister- I think it's probably one of my favorite spots to look at throughout the day.

We decided to put our Christmas tree in the living room this year, and I think we did that last year too, but the year before it was in the family room.I just hung up our stockings and added a few other small Christmas touches to the family room.

The tree was decorated by our girls and their Mema.Our son has only tried a few times to take off some of the ornaments and use them as a baseball. ;)

I hope to take some more pictures of the living room and get a post up soon about it, but for now I'll just share more of our family room and kitchen.

I also added this large chalkboard wall to an area of our kitchen. Before, I had alternated between hanging pictures or chalkboard frames here, but decided a painted chalk wall would be the best way to utilize the space. It's great for reminders, grocery lists, calendars, and the like.

I have other parts of the house decorated as well and hope to get to those sometime soon.

Monday, November 28, 2016

We had some special visitors with us for the Thanksgiving holiday...and they came up all the way from Florida!My in-laws visited this past week and we all had a good time with them- especially our kids. We skype with them about once a week, so when they come for a visit, it's always a really nice treat, even if our kids do get little hyper around them when they are here. As you can see from the picture below, our youngest really wanted to show them a good time by dancing on the fireplace in his diaper. He, as well as his older sisters, can really put on a show for people!

Our son enjoyed sharing giving things to Mema, only to demand he get them right back. ;) But she didn't mind one bit. It was good that we could all just spend quality time together like that.

The girls got some Christmas window stickers from them that they put up right away.

And I think the little guy wanted to put some up as well, but we didn't let him have any because like any 15 month old, he would've tried to eat them. That stage seems to last a while, doesn't it?

We all took the kids to Bass Pro Shops where they had lots of fun activities to do. We even did something I never thought I would do- and that was take a picture with Santa. Now, I will say that our girls do know he isn't real. We made the decision early on to tell them the truth about that- especially after hearing this article by John Piper about it.I particularly love this quote from his sermon about it: "If being Jesus-focused is a killjoy for your Christmas, you don’t know him well."

And we do want our kids to know why Jesus has come into the world and that he is the one we should celebrate!

We were also surprised at how many activities there were for the kids at Bass Pro Shops. These activities last through December, I believe...just an f.y.i. for anyone looking for something different to do.Some of these activities included a ball pit with digger, a camping section to explore with tents (which was quite the hit for our girls), an indoor carousel with animals that fit the outdoor theme, archery, and more.

And of course, our oldest spent quite a bit of time coloring and writing- what she seemed to love most about being there. She was definitely in her element at that craft table!

Since the weather was gorgeous, we spent a good amount of time outside in our yard and even took the kids to a nearby playground.

Our son loves to be pushed around on his bike (something that was given to us by some neighbors)...and so capturing this moment where Poppie was pushing him around was pretty sweet.

And we always try to get a group photo at the end of every visit. :)

I think my husband and I can both say that we are very thankful for family, the time they spend with us, and for loving on our kids. Because of that, it was a wonderful Thanksgiving and one we are very thankful for!